Venditte and Soto Turn Down Professional Baseball; Scarpetta Signs with Brewers
8/18/2007 12:30:00 AM | Baseball
OMAHA, Neb. - Creighton ambidextrous pitcher Pat Venditte and incoming freshman shortstop Elliot Soto have turned down the opportunity to play professionally and will be members of the 2008 Bluejay baseball team. Cody Scarpetta, a pitcher from Rockford, Ill., who had committed to play at Creighton, has signed a contract with the Milwaukee Brewers organization. Wednesday, August 15, was the deadline for major league organizations to sign their drafted players. All unsigned picks who were not college seniors are no longer the property of the club that selected them.
Venditte was selected in the 45th round (1,345 overall) by the New York Yankees, Soto was a 13th-round selection (422 overall) of the Minnesota Twins and Scarpetta was an 11th-round pick (341 overall) of the Brewers. Scarpetta will report to Arizona in mid-September to play in a fall instructional league.
Venditte finished last season with an 8-2 record and four saves, while leading the Bluejays with 95.2 innings pitched and 99 strikeouts. A native of Omaha (Central), he ranked among the national leaders in appearances (38), ERA (1.88) and batting average against (.189). His final 1.88 ERA ranks first in Bluejays' single-season recorded history, while his career 2.61 ERA is tops on the career list. Venditte also became the all-time single-season leader in appearances, breaking the previous mark held by teammate Scott Reese (37, 2005). Venditte was named the MVP of the MVC Tournament after extending a scoreless streak to 43.2 innings before giving up his lone run in 6.1 innings of work as the starter in the tournament championship game. Following the season, Venditte was named second-team All-America by Rivals.com, second-team All-America by Baseball America, third-team All-America by Collegiate Baseball, first-team all-MVC, and was InsidePitching.com's Midwest Region Pitcher of the Year.
Soto graduated this spring from Dundee-Crown High School in Algonquin, Ill., where he posted a .435 batting average, five home runs, 24 RBIs and .591 on-base percentage as a senior on the diamond. He was named the 2007 Courier News Baseball Player of the Year after leading his team to a conference championship and a trip to the state tournament quarterfinals. Soto hit .393 with six home runs, 42 RBIs and had 19 stolen bases as a junior and broke the varsity school record for batting average as a sophomore with a .456 mark.
Marc Lewis (20th round, 616th overall), Chris Gradoville (24th round, 740th overall), and Chad Ogden (undrafted), seniors on Creighton's 2007 squad, previously signed contracts and are finishing their first season in professional baseball. Lewis, drafted by the Florida Marlins organization, has a 2-4 record with a 2.08 ERA for the Jamestown Jammers of the Class A Short-Season New York-Penn League. Gradoville and Ogden are both members of the Texas Rangers organization. Gradoville was assigned to the Spokane Indians of the Class A Short-Season Northwest League while Ogden is a member of the Clinton LumberKings of the Class A Midwest League.
The Bluejays finished 45-16 in the spring, the fourth-highest win total in school history, captured the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference tournament championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in school history.
Venditte was selected in the 45th round (1,345 overall) by the New York Yankees, Soto was a 13th-round selection (422 overall) of the Minnesota Twins and Scarpetta was an 11th-round pick (341 overall) of the Brewers. Scarpetta will report to Arizona in mid-September to play in a fall instructional league.
Venditte finished last season with an 8-2 record and four saves, while leading the Bluejays with 95.2 innings pitched and 99 strikeouts. A native of Omaha (Central), he ranked among the national leaders in appearances (38), ERA (1.88) and batting average against (.189). His final 1.88 ERA ranks first in Bluejays' single-season recorded history, while his career 2.61 ERA is tops on the career list. Venditte also became the all-time single-season leader in appearances, breaking the previous mark held by teammate Scott Reese (37, 2005). Venditte was named the MVP of the MVC Tournament after extending a scoreless streak to 43.2 innings before giving up his lone run in 6.1 innings of work as the starter in the tournament championship game. Following the season, Venditte was named second-team All-America by Rivals.com, second-team All-America by Baseball America, third-team All-America by Collegiate Baseball, first-team all-MVC, and was InsidePitching.com's Midwest Region Pitcher of the Year.
Soto graduated this spring from Dundee-Crown High School in Algonquin, Ill., where he posted a .435 batting average, five home runs, 24 RBIs and .591 on-base percentage as a senior on the diamond. He was named the 2007 Courier News Baseball Player of the Year after leading his team to a conference championship and a trip to the state tournament quarterfinals. Soto hit .393 with six home runs, 42 RBIs and had 19 stolen bases as a junior and broke the varsity school record for batting average as a sophomore with a .456 mark.
Marc Lewis (20th round, 616th overall), Chris Gradoville (24th round, 740th overall), and Chad Ogden (undrafted), seniors on Creighton's 2007 squad, previously signed contracts and are finishing their first season in professional baseball. Lewis, drafted by the Florida Marlins organization, has a 2-4 record with a 2.08 ERA for the Jamestown Jammers of the Class A Short-Season New York-Penn League. Gradoville and Ogden are both members of the Texas Rangers organization. Gradoville was assigned to the Spokane Indians of the Class A Short-Season Northwest League while Ogden is a member of the Clinton LumberKings of the Class A Midwest League.
The Bluejays finished 45-16 in the spring, the fourth-highest win total in school history, captured the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference tournament championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in school history.
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